Embodiments of the disclosure relate generally to an aerospace sand casting support system, and more specifically, a casting system that supports one or more core structure utilized in a casting process.
Sand castings have been traditionally utilized by the aerospace industry to manufacture components that have complex lubrication or fuel transfer systems. Conventional sand castings include one or more core structures, for example sand cores, having a predetermined diameter. The sand cores form corresponding core passages having a hollow region defined by a predetermined diameter of the sand core. FIG. 1, for example, illustrates a traditional aerospace industrial electrical generator 10 fabricated according to a conventional sand casting process. The electrical generator 10 includes a housing 12. A core passage network 14 is illustrated in phantom as being disposed inside the housing 12. The core passage network 14 includes a plurality of core passages 16.
The core passages 16 may span long distances within the housing 12, while also changing elevations or centerlines, and transitioning in shape or diameter. The conventional sand casting process forms the core passages 16 using compressed sand cores (not shown) to define the inner diameter, i.e., volume, of the core passages 16. Thereafter, molten metal is poured over the sand cores. The molten metal hardens around the sand cores to form exterior walls of the core passages 16, while the heat from the molten metal reduces the sand cores to loosen sand that is flushed from within the core passages. To maintain dimensional stability and location of the core passages 16, conventional sand casting processes utilize numerous sand prints, i.e., core supports 18. The core supports 18 are then subsequently welded shut during the post cast processing at the foundry level.
The welding process used during the conventional casting process must seal the core supports 18 adequately to prevent fluid leak paths, which can expose the casted component to flammable conditions. To ensure the leak paths are sealed, the welding work requires extensive preparation, mandated inspection processes, and rework cycles impacting both quality and delivery of the casted component. In large casting components, for example, twenty or more plug welds may exist, which increases costs, metal scrap, and delays component development. In addition, the welding process may cause residual stresses in the component that are exposed in subsequent manufacturing processes.